AUTHORITATIVE | CURATED | First 500 words Free

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

In 2009, London-born soul sensation Adele said that to be nominated for a Grammy Award was ‘a dream come true’ and to win two ‘blew my mind.’ Fast-forward to the 54th Grammy Awards in February 2012 and the singer was practically staggering as she posed for pictures with six further gongs. She won Record of the Year, Album ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Despite initial comparisons to her fellow Londoner, the late Amy Winehouse, and other female soul acts – Adele has been likened to everyone from the late Whitney Houston to a combination of Joni Mitchell and Carole King – there’s no denying she is now widely thought of as a unique talent. ‘I keep getting called “the new Amy Winehouse” and ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Adele was just three years old when she attended her first live gig with her mother: a Cure concert in London’s Finsbury Park. It was the same year her father, a Welsh plumber, left her mother, practically severing all ties with his daughter in the process. After that first gig, the tot took to the music straight ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on 5 May 1988 in Tottenham, a deprived part of North London with a high rate of unemployment. Her mother, Penny Adkins, was just 18 and an art student when her daughter was born. Adele’s father, Mark Evans, exited Adele’s life when she was aged three, leaving mother and daughter ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

As a schoolgirl, Adele had music constantly on the brain. She even persuaded her mother to make her a sequined eye patch to wear to school so she could channel pop star Gabrielle. Adele’s natural musicality saw her take up clarinet and guitar, but her ultimate devotion was reserved for vocals. She used to queue for hours to get ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

year’s coursework at the beginning of 2006. A pal uploaded them on to Myspace, and very soon they attracted views and the attention of record companies. The only label Adele had heard of was Virgin and naturally, an email from a rep at XL Recordings aroused suspicion – ‘I thought it was just some perv on the Internet, ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Following the release of ‘Hometown Glory’, anticipation for Adele’s first album began to mount seriously. A big moment for Adele was when the producers of BBC2’s Later… With Jools Holland got in touch after viewing her material on YouTube. They invited her to appear on the show, which she did in August 2007 – alongside former Beatle Paul McCartney and ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Shoulder’, ‘Hometown Glory’ and the Bob Dylan cover, ‘Make You Feel My Love’ charted in both the US and the UK, though there was no No. 1 single. Adele has described the work as being ‘modern pop’ in style but it certainly has folk, jazz and soul influences. She wrote nine of the songs in a three-week period ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

19 won the young singer a number of awards and even more nominations. Adele became the first ever winner of a new category – Critics’ Choice – at the 2008 BRIT Awards and was a nominee for the prestigious Mercury Prize. She also received three BRIT nominations in 2009 for her work on the album. Adele picked up the awards for ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

2011, it had reached over 3.4 million copies in the UK, becoming the biggest-selling album of the twenty-first century when it overtook Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black. Adele was pleased with her songwriting, calling the tracks the ‘most articulate’ she had produced to date. Rolling In The Deep A second failed relationship, this time with a ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

‘There are a lot of people who probably think that I’m never going to sing again, so I will come for them and kick their arses!’ Adele joked with a reporter on the red carpet pre-Grammys. Her phenomenal success that night wasn’t restricted to winning six awards though: Adele’s knockout performance confirmed her famous voice had been unaffected by ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Adele is in a league of her own when compared to the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. The differences are not limited to their music styles either. An ardent fan of comfortable elegance and the colour black, when Adele’s touring, there’s no need to worry about 11 costume changes and the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction. She ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Adele has attracted a diverse, cross-generational, international legion of fans. While it was teenage girls who first clicked onto the singer via channels such as Myspace, their mothers soon grew to love her too. The star has often paid tribute to her loyal fanbase, particularly for accepting her as she is. ‘To all the fans,’ she ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Adele has cheeky, natural charm. She comes across as a lovely young woman, yet she is also known for cussing like a sailor continually. When at home, she’s a bit of a clean freak and can’t go to bed until everything’s tidied up, describing the habit as ‘really anal’. She also says that she loves cooking, ...

• Personalities
• Pop
• Soul & R&B
• Twenty-First Century

Discography (core) Albums & EPs 19 (2008, UK No. 1, US No. 4) iTunes Live From SoHo (EP, 2009) 21 (2011, UK & US No. 1) iTunes Festival: London 2011 (EP, 2011) Live At The Royal Albert Hall (video album, 2011, UK No. 2, US No. 1) 25 (2015, UK & US No. ...